Saturday, November 19, 2011

The FAQ Thanksgiving menu 2011

Okay, after much thinking, here's what I'm going with this year. On one hand, I look forward to having my favorites, on the other hand, I'm always looking to improve what can be better! I may venture out to try a new #gf pie crust. Dare I?

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours! The FAQ

1. Turkey
I purchase free-range and organic Mary's turkey from Whole Foods. This year, about $2.50/lb. I've been making this turkey for a few years now, and am always pleased with the moistness and extra flavor of the turkey. The gravy is hearty and is perfect with the gf cornbread stuffing I prefer.

The key thing I alter is that I dry brine the turkey this two days before Thanksgiving, and bring it up to room temperature before roasting.

Here's the recipe for Turkey with Sage and Sherried Cider Giblet Gravy from Epicurious

Mix together the gf mix, sweet rice flour (or sorghum flour), sugar and salt. Cut the butter into chunks, and use a pastry cutter (or two forks) to work the butter into the dry ingredients to form a coarse meal. Once thoroughly mixed, make a well in the dry ingredients and break the egg into the well. Add the vinegar or lemon juice. Use a fork to stir from the center, working the flour into the egg to form a soft dough. Shape into a flat cake, cover and refrigerate if it's too soft to roll out. You'll want the dough to hold a shape, but not be so stiff that it cracks. You'll want the texture to be like Play-doh.

Cut two large pieces of waxed paper, about 3"-4" wider than your pie plate. On one piece of paper, sprinkle a little of the gf mix (or cornstarch) onto the paper to keep the dough from sticking to the paper. Take out your dough, and flatten it a bit with your hand to make it sorta round. Sprinkle the top with a little more mix or cornstarch, then put the second piece of waxed paper on top. The you can use your rolling pin to roll out the dough. Start from the center and roll outwards. Because of the waxed paper, you can flip it over and adjust as you go along if it becomes uneven. (When it gets really unruly, I also pin one corner of the paper with my hip against the counter to keep it from moving. Hey, whatever works, right?) Roll the crust to be about 2" wider than your pie pan (measure using the pan itself!).

When it's the size you want, peel off one side of the paper, put the pan upside down on top and flip it over into the pan, and adjust. Then peel off the other paper, tada! Then cut another two pieces of waxed paper and roll out another circle for the top crust, Cover the rolled out dough and put them both in the fridge while you make the filling.

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About Me

A lifelong cook, former caterer and currently a marketing exec, in 2003 I discovered that I was allergic to wheat, dairy, soy, rice (hello, I'm Chinese!), gluten, chicken, garlic, tomatoes, citrus, lettuce, carrots, celery, walnuts, cashews, hazelnuts, flax and a few more. I'm also allergic to alcohol. This blog is where I share my adventures managing multiple food allergies.
Remember, I'm not a doctor, I can only share personal anecdotal experience. Email: foodallergyqueen@gmail.com or find me on Facebook!